Mid-Year Reflections Through Creative Collage

A peg board filled with collages created on PLOTTER Drawing Paper which relate to creativity and use a mixed media approach, which incorporates torn paper, stamps, and calligraphy lettering.

This past month, the PLOTTER USA team visited PLOTTER TOKYO for the first time, and it was a day filled with “firsts.” This was the first in-store workshop held by PLOTTER TOKYO and it was a dual effort with the PLOTTER USA team. Hosted on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO, the workshop brought together PLOTTER fans for an evening of reflection and creativity. Drawing on the experience of PLOTTER Lounge event from San Francisco Stationery Fest earlier this year, we re-created a meaningful experience of collage and self-reflection for participants.

People listening to Takayuki Saito, the Director of PLOTTER, at a workshop in PLOTTER TOKYO store.

An Evening of Reflection and Creativity

Takayuki Saito helping at the PLOTTER TOKYO workshop.

On Monday, July 6, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, we held three sessions of the Mid-Year Reflections Through Creative Collage workshop, welcoming five participants per class. Job, from the PLOTTER USA team, led each session with support from PLOTTER’s director, Takayuki Saito, who translated throughout the workshop and helped guide participants through each step. PLOTTER TOKYO is not only a space for customers to browse products, but also a place that creates opportunities for users to learn about the creative directions behind the brand and its stories.

PLOTTER TOKYO workshop with Takayuki Saito, the director of PLOTTER and PLOTTER USA staff.

A participant at the PLOTTER TOKYO workshop, which takes place on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO.

The workshop invited attendees to pause and check in with themselves through a hands-on creative exercise. Participants selected a reflection theme, then responded by building a mood board or vision board collage on PLOTTER Drawing Paper or Colored Paper.

A person collaging during the PLOTTER TOKYO workshop, which takes place on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO.

The reflection themes included Seasonal Snapshot, Letting Go, My Spark, A New Project, and Future Me. In one hour, each participant created one to two collages. Even with shared prompts and materials, no two pieces felt the same. Each collage carried its own personality, shaped by the attendees’ memories, hopes, and aesthetic. At the end of each workshop session, students shared their completed collages with the rest of the group, explaining their reflection theme and how they put their collage together.

A pile of collage materials curated for the PLOTTER TOKYO workshop, which takes place on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO.

A person showing their completed collages during the PLOTTER TOKYO workshop, which takes place on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO.

Each student had such a thoughtful approach to their reflection and collage, and both attendees and staff acknowledged how genuinely honest each attendee was in explaining their thought process to the rest of the class. The creative energy was definitely contagious, as other PLOTTER staff even took a stab at the workshop alongside the students.

Takayuki Saito, the director of PLOTTER, is collaging and doing calligraphy during the PLOTTER TOKYO workshop, which takes place on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO.

Takayuki Saito, the director of PLOTTER, is hanging completed collages on a peg board on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO.

The PLOTTER TOKYO Experience

One of the most memorable parts of the evening was working with PLOTTER TOKYO-exclusive tools and materials, including letterpress stamps, large wooden stamps, and other collage materials reserved for special events. These details added an unmistakable PLOTTER TOKYO signature and gave participants a chance to experiment with items not typically available day to day.

People collaging and doing calligraphy during the PLOTTER TOKYO workshop, which takes place on the third floor of PLOTTER TOKYO.

Three Sessions, Three Different Creative Rhythms

Although every session followed the same structure, each group brought a different energy to the table. The first session moved with bold ideas and lively conversation. The second session leaned into experimentation, with participants incorporating their own photos and personal ephemera to create story-rich compositions.

The third session welcomed a particularly special community: PLOTTER ambassadors from Japan’s I AM PLOTTER program. Their passion for PLOTTER leather binders was immediate, and they generously shared their personal PLOTTER journeys with the PLOTTER USA staff. It was a joy to see the unique PLOTTER Leather Binders they brought, each one carrying marks of use and patina, or fun customizations.

A table filled with PLOTTER Leather Binders at the PLOTTER TOKYO flagship store.

A Meaningful “First”

PLOTTER TOKYO workshop with Takayuki Saito, the director of PLOTTER, holding his finished collage.

Amid all the paper tearing, cutting, layering, and gluing, and the sharing of stories across languages—the day felt like a celebration of PLOTTER’s core tenet: creativity. The PLOTTER USA team is grateful to have been part of such a fun experience at PLOTTER TOKYO, and we thank the PLOTTER Japan team for welcoming us warmly. We are excited to see what this new chapter of in-store creative experiences will inspire next at PLOTTER TOKYO. We hope to bring more fun experiences like this workshop to future PLOTTER USA pop-ups in the US.